Fresh pesto, tossed with pasta is one of my favorite summer meals. Although I'm tempted to make basil pesto in the Spring, I don't because basil is not in season yet. Luckily, there are lots of other scrumptious vegetables that can be used instead of basil. This variation is made with broccoli, garlic, and Parmesan cheese. Serve with plenty of cracked pepper, extra cheese for sprinkling, and a chilled glass of wine. Take a look at the recipe, read more.
From Good Housekeeping magazine
Ingredients
1 package (16 ounces) spaghetti or thin spaghetti
1 bag frozen chopped broccoli or 16 ounces fresh broccoli
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small garlic clove
1/4 teaspoon salt
Coarsely ground black pepper
Directions
- In saucepot, prepare pasta in boiling salted water as label directs.
- In saucepan, prepare broccoli as label directs. If using fresh broccoli, blanch in boiling water for 2-3 minutes until cooked through and vibrant green in color.
- In food processor, with knife blade attached, blend cooked broccoli, broth, Parmesan, olive oil, garlic, and salt until smooth, stopping processor occasionally to scrape down side.
- Drain pasta; toss with broccoli pesto. Sprinkle with coarsely ground black pepper to serve.
Serves 4.
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Earnest Sewn
mmmm this sounds good. anything pesto - i love. my mom makes the best pesto!
1that is a recipe that i would definitely try. i sometimes add pine nuts into a recipe that's pesto just for the texture...and it's great.
2Definitely saving this one to my favorites. LOVELOVELOVE pesto!
3This looks simple and delicious. I just wish I had a food processor, they're so handy!
4this sounds soooo good! I think I will try it tonight!!
5Looks yummy!
6Sounds Yummy!
I'm allergic to pine nuts, so I'm always on the lookout for how to make variations on pesto!
Thanks for the great idea!!!
7i don't have a food processor either...can you do this in a blender?
8I love it! I am totally trying this tonight.
juliej, you can make pesto with walnuts. It turns out well and you get some omega-3s, too.
9this would be yummy with some grilled chicken. this sjould work fine in a blender tweet.
10should
11I make this one all the time. No broth. Delicious
12I clicked on the Good Housekeeping link and this is what is says re: using a blender.
"The pesto is best made in a food processor; a blender makes the mixture too creamy. "
13I make this all the time with some cut up grilled chicken. I consider this one of my "lazy" weeknight meals because it is so simple.
14Pesto!
15YUM! One that actually sounds good!
16George W and I only agree on one thing: lose the broccoli.
17I made this last night and wasn't very impressed. It tasted more like mashed up broccoli than pesto. Maybe using frozen broccoli is better, but I found it to be pretty gross when made with fresh broccoli --- and I love broccoli and pesto!
18Mmmm yum-o
19kbarre: maybe adding some sort of cream (just a little bit) would make it seem less like mashed broccoli? did you add nuts to it too? i'm curious to experiment with this recipe.
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